In appreciation of vans

[seattle smitty]

This is probably dumb. Wouldn't be the first time for that!

One of the automotive sites I visit has a section on full-size vans, with much useful info. The other day a guy was asking for advice about his van and posted a photo the looks to me as if he is using it to carry a couple of roadracing motorcycles. The bike racers have long been heavy users of full-size vans, and seem to have a million stories about them. For some reason, it struck me that with all the reminiscing that old racers do, I have never seen anybody write a tribute to the lowly van, so I posted the following, which few of you will see so I'm pasting it here for what it's worth:

I'm an old man, got into racing outboard hydros in the era of the Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys. Whether cartopping the raceboat or towing a light racing trailer, nothing was better than a van! If you were carrying the racing machine externally (unlike most of the bike and kart racers), you probably had room to camperize your van with a fold-out cot for two, maybe even a sink and icebox and a fold-out table (my '66 Econoline Supervan had all this). This meant you had a LOT more fuel-efficient and handy set-up for two-day races than did the guys who had big pickups with huge drop-in camper units (which however were more commodious and wife-friendly).

I wonder if any old amateur motor-racer has ever written a paean of tribute to the lowly van. At club-races of boats, roadbikes, MX'ers, enduro and trials bikes, karts, sleds, sportscars, dune buggies and sand draggers, . . . if you were in the parking lots and pits at any of these events you'd see vans all over the place. Nice ones, crappy ones, all makes in all lengths. Yeah, we certainly could have used pickups and station wagons, and even old ambulances and hearses and run-out commercial step-vans (which are all geared wrong for highway use), but the vans that started coming out in about 1961, IIRC, turned out to be the nearly-ideal set-up for low-buck racing use.

So here's to the vans! Thanks for all the good times!!

If y'all are like Stateside bike racers, crazy van stories should soon appear . . . .

[chrisc]

Vans are awesome! One of the best purchases I've ever made. I sleep in the van next to my bike with some of the seats taken out. Meanwhile suckers are putting up tents or paying for hotels. Mind you I don't have a wife to force me into a moving hotel

[cynna]

no quite big enough for a bike but i had a falcon panel van for years that i travelled all over nz in. sleeping in the back when ever i needed. had to sell it since fitting in a kids seat was a pain

sold it about 8 years ago and just brought another one last month

[Buddha#81:Me]

And you look like a dirty old man crusing around the eastern burbs in it too Col!

[cynna]

And you look like a dirty old man crusing around the eastern burbs in it too Col!

wait till i get the windows tinted and my free hugs decals on the side

[F5 Dave]

We don't go too big here, the roads just are more suited to smaller vehicles with our hilly terrain. Plus our petrol prices would make you spit. I thought this war on terror was supposed to be a front for stealing all the oil. Well where's my cheaper petrol then? I doubt I'll vote for that Obama chap again, which was difficult as ai had to handwrote his name on the voting papers, they seem to have left him off last time.

I bought a car once. And only once. I've had a C20 Nissan which was great at the time & could fit 2 dirtbikes or 3 buckets at a squeeze. But last 16 yrs my short whl base HiAce has been my hauler & can fit 3 dirtbikes or 3 buckets with ease to 5 if yer really keen.

A nitrous conversion would be nice for overtaking.

[Kickaha]

My Transit is FUCKING awesome, big enough to live in, fits an F1 sidecar and gear with room left over, probably about an 8-10 Bucket van

[Grumph]

Anyone know what the statute of limitations is on van racing on the public road ? There was a lot of fun had in the 90's by guys doing the National series. Mostly illegal...
Transits are an interesting van. weird motor but bloody quick with the right optional diff ratio. Some years back I was going South on one of the typical SI long straight roads, driving the nice Mk2 Jag we had at the time...Cruising at (cough) around 90mph, as you do...I saw a dot in the mirror which rapidly became a blue Transit van signwritten in the colours of a well known carpet laying firm. It passed me and disappeared into the distance. Must have been a bloody urgent carpet laying job somewhere...

[Motu]

Most handy van I had was a MkIV Escort - car size, open one door, open 2 for a bigger load, put stuff behind you from the drivers seat, the perfect workshop hack. I used to put my trials bike into it - loosen the bars and lay them down, the front wheel between the seats. And I could sleep in it too. It had to go because of body parts issues, mechanical were no problem. I'd like to find a MkVI to replace it.

[swarfie]

Sidecar Bob is pretty stoked with his new van. There's not many larger...or at least longer. Scrivy reckons they could load the sidecar in the front of it in Towel Ronger and then unload it at Hampton Downs out through the back without even driving it anywhere

[Gremlin]

I've had a big Hiace (ZX latest shape) with AWD for the last 6 months. Loving it so far in terms of carting bikes (or anything else like furniture). It's the seats/lined version so a bit quieter, but I've removed most of the rear seats and it will take two road bikes easily, even 2 adventure bikes depending on size. Still a 4 seater, extra room for gear etc. Fantastic for mountain biking as well as the AWD allows us to get up the rougher trail heads.

Good thing I use motorbikes for daily commuting though, I can't fit in most parking garages and three clients have garages I can't fit in either.

[Grumph]

Sidecar Bob is pretty stoked with his new van. There's not many larger...or at least longer. Scrivy reckons they could load the sidecar in the front of it in Towel Ronger and then unload it at Hampton Downs out through the back without even driving it anywhere

Yeah, I was impressed. But more impressed with the spoils of the raid on the SI sitting in it. Just as well i have a big property, he could drive it in - and turn round too.

[Kickaha]

Sidecar Bob is pretty stoked with his new van. There's not many larger...or at least longer. :

Side by side I'd say it's another 2-300mm or so longer than my Hicube

Anyone know what the statute of limitations is on van racing on the public road ? There was a lot of fun had in the 90's by guys doing the National series. Mostly illegal...

Coming back from Puke one year towing a trailer we swapped drivers at Taupo and a certain multiple NZ sidecar champ drove from there to Masterton where him and the trailer were getting dropped off, pretty sure I saw 140kmh on the clock at one stage

[pete376403]

We have some Hyundai turbo diesel vans at work. Really nice to drive, huge in the back, they make the previous Mitsi L300s and Toyota HiAces look crude by comparison.

And , there once was a magazine article about the bike mover vehicle - years and years ago Dirt Bike did a writeup on the GYDBT - the great yellow dirt bike truck, an El Camino if I recall correctly. They are appreciated.

Edit - the internet, nothing ever goes away http://superhunky.com/store/index.ph...ike-tests.html

[speedpro]

Pete may remember the old Boyle Kawasaki HiAce. Old man Boyle dropped in a Holden 173 with Traumatic box and zephyr diff. Brother Doug bought it from them and I bought it from him. No problem hauling anything you could possibly squeeze in and also no problem getting the speedo needle round to "A" in the "BRAKE" light at the bottom of the speedo. The drum brakes gave up a few times most notably through the paraparas once. I also had a CF Bedford. Gearing was way low for open road use and you could hear it rusting out in the driveway. We had a HiAce LZ(?) van in the shop in Wellington It had something like 300K on it and even towing a fully loaded horsefloat style furniture trailer, and fully loaded it still got along OK. Seemed quite perky after unloading and ditching the trailer though I must admit.
You can't beat a van on raceday when it's pissing down with rain and there are no undercover pits.